Shack petrol bombed while family were sleeping

Crime & Courts / 21 November 2012, 5:43pm

Megan Baadjies

Cape Town 20-111-2012:A devastated Laeekah Thaker sits at the ruins of her Blikkiesdorp house which was petrol bombed last night where her daughter 4 yearold Fazlin died in the fire with her dady, the one yrs old baby was injured and additmited to hospital for burn wounds.Picture Mlondolozi Mbolo reporter Megane.

Cape Town - A brave dad died while trying to save his five-year-old stepdaughter moments after their shack was struck with two petrol bombs.

But they were both engulfed in flames before 21-year-old Zachariah “Zakkie” Peters could hand little Fazlin Thaker to her mother.

The couple’s one-year-old son Zahier is also fighting for his life in hospital after one of the bombs landed on him.

Now a distraught Laeekah Thaker, 20, is left to pick up the pieces of her life after she nearly lost her entire family.

Zachariah was released from prison just a week ago for housebreaking and was still under correctional supervision.

His heartbroken wife sobbed uncontrollably on Tuesday as she told how unknown men tossed the bombs through a widow of their hokkie in Blikkiesdorp, in Delft, on Monday night.

The young mom was frantically woken up by her husband who desperately tried to save his family.

“Zakkie woke me up and said there are two petrol bombs in our house,” Laeekah said.

“He told me to get out so I climbed through the window for him to give the children to me.

“He gave my son first after one of the bombs fell on him [Zahier].

“[Zakkie then] went back for my daughter but it was already too late.

“A metal sheet fell on him and they both burned to death inside,” an emotional Laeekah said.

Tension ran high in Blikkiesdorp on Tuesday morning as police combed the area searching for leads.